Closing of teen shelter leaves gap in available help for local youth

Posted: Tuesday, February 17, 2004

For teens without a home or with one mired in chaos, the Athens Regional Attention Home offered an alternative to life on the streets. Unfortunately, according to state officials, youth seeking safe refuge in the shelter were not able to escape potential danger.

The state Department of Human Resources revoked the attention home's license last month after receiving complaints the shelter wasn't adequately supervising the children in its care. This lack of oversight created an environment where dangerous - even unlawful - activities by some of the residents could take place.

In a Feb. 14 Banner-Herald article, Cathy Wilcox, acting director of DHR's child care licensing section, was quoted saying the home failed repeatedly to take steps to prevent behavior problems by residents. In the most recent incident, two boys reportedly touched another child in the home "inappropriately," Wilcox said.

It was the shelter's total non-compliance with state standards and inability to protect the safety and welfare of its young residents that prompted the state to yank the license.

The attention home's board and director appealed the decision, but the revocation was upheld during an administrative hearing. Last week, it was announced the shelter would close its doors April 30 after 22 years of helping thousands of at-risk kids from Athens and surrounding areas.

News of the shelter's closure came as a shock and disappointment. The Athens Regional Attention Home had become a fixture in the community. It filled an important role in the child welfare system and was well supported by the public. In fact, a few years ago, the community helped raise thousands of dollars in donations to renovate the shelter.

The shelter accepted youths between the ages of 11 and 18. Some residents were referred to the attention home by the Clarke County Department of Family and Children Services or by their parents. Others just showed up at the shelter on their own.

Teens in need of emergency housing will now be referred to The Alcove, a youth shelter in Monroe.

With only vague explanations about the nature of the attention home's violations and what steps it took to try and remedy the problems, it is difficult to get a clear picture of whether the license revocation was justified. However, given the paucity of resources available for helping teens who are homeless, runaways or have been taken away from abusive or neglectful parents, we doubt the state would take such a step without probable cause or exhausting every other option.

One thing is certain, the attention home's closure will be a major loss for the community and desperate young people who sought refuge within its walls. Despite its apparent imperfections, the shelter no doubt offered a better life for some kids. After all, even spotty supervision in a shelter can be preferable to having no supervision on the streets.

Nevertheless, we support DHR's decision to uphold its standards and err on the side of caution. If lax supervision contributed to serious criminal behavior, such as the molestation of a child, the state had no option but to intervene. There is a moral and legal imperative for the state to address a potentially dangerous situation at a child care facility in its purview - even if it means taking away a much needed community resource.